The present invention relates to refuse collection vehicles and, more particularly, to rear hopper refuse collection vehicles.
Rear hopper refuse collection trucks are designed to handle large, wheeled refuse containers, typically having capacities of 2, 3, 4, 6, 8 and 10 cubic yards. These refuse containers are formed with a trunnion along one side of their open upper ends, and are secured to the rear of the truck adjacent the loading sill of the hopper. They are pivoted about their trunnions by, e.g., a push bar (for containers of up to 4 cubic yard capacity) and a winch having a cable and hook or a hydraulic cylinder (known as a reeving cylinder) (for containers of 5 cubic yard capacity or more) in order to tip the containers and discharge their contents into the hopper.
The container must be pivoted about the trunnion a sufficient amount so that the refuse contained therein will slide out, but not so far that the center of gravity of the container passes over the pivot axis defined by the trunnion, in which case the container would continue to rotate about the trunnion and either fall into the hopper or hit and damage the top edge of the hopper opening.
Efforts to prevent the container from being xe2x80x9cover-tippedxe2x80x9d are complicated by the shifting center of gravity as the container empties, and by the various sizes for the different containers that are emptied during a typical garage pick-up route.
In view of the above, the hoppers of some refuse collection trucks have been provided with a stop in a form of a beam that spans the hopper opening near the top of the opening. The beam is rigidly affixed to the side walls of the hopper and serves as a guard to prevent an xe2x80x9cover-tippedxe2x80x9d container from hitting and damaging the hopper opening. Such a fixed stop bar works well with standard-size containers, but may not be effective for other sizes or shapes for containers. Also, while the fixed stop bar protects the hopper opening from damage due to xe2x80x9covertippedxe2x80x9d containers, the stop bar instead can become damaged.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a rear hopper refuse collection vehicle with some means for preventing over-tipping of refuse containers and the damage to the hopper caused thereby.
It is a further object to provide a stop bar that permits a greater tip angle than is obtainable with conventional, stationary stop bars, thereby providing more efficient discharge of refuse into the vehicle hopper.
More particularly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved stop bar for securing to the hopper.
It is a further object to provide an improved stop bar that works effectively with refuse containers of various sizes and shapes.
It is an additional object to provide an improved stop bar that is less susceptible to damage resulting from the performance of its intended functions.
These objects, as well as others that will become apparent upon reference to the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings, are achieved by a stop bar for use in a refuse collection vehicle with a rear hopper having an opening defined by sidewalls, an upper edge, and a loading sill. The stop bar includes an elongated bar with support arms secured to each of its ends. The support arms are pivotally mounted to the sidewalls of the hopper. Two stops are provided for limiting the pivoting movement of the stop bar between a first, non-engaged position and a second, fully engaged position. These stops engage at least one, and preferably both of the support arms. In the preferred embodiment, each support arm is pivotally mounted to a bracket secured to the hopper sidewall. Both the bracket and the support arm include a flange, with each flange supporting one of the stops. The stop bar may advantageously include a spring to cushion the impact of a refuse container as the stop bar moves from its first position to the second position, and also to bias the stop bar toward its first position.